Around The World In 80 Ways: Using Virtual Tours To Foster Global Citizenship

With distance, time, expense, scale, and safety factors in real-world field trips, more and more educators and students are turning to virtual experiences as alternatives. So while PBS brings a summer of adventure to its viewers, have your kids explore the world around them with these 80 free virtual experiences. From historical events like the civil rights movement to touring UNESCO world heritage sites, these resources will give students a better understanding of historical events and the world around them.

The Entrepreneurship of Georgia virtual field trip takes students on an exploration of Georgia’s unique economy, guiding them through five of the state’s largest companies and explaining each firm’s inception and business history, including expansion, economic impact, charitable endeavors, and much more.

The Jimmy Carter virtual field trip takes students on a journey through the remarkable life of James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. from his hometown experiences and early years through to his time as governor and president, into achievements post-presidency.

The Physical Features of Georgia virtual field trip guides students through twelve of the state’s physical features: the Blue Ridge Mountains, Brasstown Bald, the monadnocks (Arabia, Panola, and Stone Mountains), Red Top Mountain, the Fall Line, Providence Canyon, Okefenokee Swamp, the Savannah and Chattahoochee Rivers, and the barrier islands.

The Warm Springs virtual field trip provides students with an in-depth look at Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s personal ties to Georgia, including his struggle with polio and his interaction with Georgia citizens.

The University of Georgia virtual field trip provides students with an in-depth look at both the creation of the first state-chartered institution and its founder, Abraham Baldwin. It also provides information about the school’s past struggles with social issues such as racial and gender discrimination.

The Regions of Georgia virtual field trip takes students on a journey throughout the state of Georgia, guiding them through the five physiographic regions and explaining the relative location of each, as well as their characteristics, economic importance, and much more.

Brimming with comprehensive, cross-curricular content, including 14 videos, primary source images and documents, compelling photo galleries, interactive maps, artwork, music, and more, this virtual collection invites students into an engaging exploration of some of the most significant events of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Creek Nation virtual field trip provides students with an in-depth look at the lives of the Creek Indians prior to the arrival of the first settlers in Georgia, the fight to remain on their land, and their removal from Georgia in the 1830s.

The Cherokee Nation virtual field trip affords an in-depth look at the lives of the Cherokee Indians, from their first encounters with Europeans to events, such as Georgia’s gold rush and the signing of the Indian Removal Act by President Andrew Jackson, that led to their forced relocation to Indian Territory in 1838. Students can explore the following three important historic sites: the Cherokee Nation capital of New Echota, the Chief John Ross House, and the Chieftains Museum.

GPB Broadcasts

Explore Georgia’s true wilderness with GPB Education’s live exploration to the Okefenokee Swamp. Witness the power of the mighty alligator, hear from swamp experts, and test your knowledge of the Okefenokee with this hour-long program.

Take your students on an exploration of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary in this 30 minute virtual field trip. This event was live streamed on May 10, 2017, from the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium in Savannah, GA. This unique experience teaches students about the animals that call Gray’s Reef home, how the seafloor serves as a habitat and ways they can help protect the reef from major threats. Join marine experts as they share the importance of their research and answer questions from the audience.

Little St. Simons can only be reached by boat, but the ride will deliver you to a bird lover's paradise. With no more than 32 overnight guests allowed at a time, this may be as close as you'll ever get to owning your own island!

Atlanta is known as the city in a forest because of the many pockets of forest land that dot the metro area. Host Sharon Collins travels to many of these hidden gems to showcase these urban forests. The show highlights the value of these trees, and the conversation efforts to protect the region's forest canopy.

First settled by the Native Americans, then by European explorers, pirates, and wealthy Southern plantation owners, Sapelo Island is rich with the history of North America. Off the Georgian coastline, Sapelo is also the home of one of the most important wetland ecosystems in the world.

Whether looking at the history and cultures of Africa, describing our earliest Mammalian ancestor or primate diversity around the world, examining ancient life forms including the ever popular dinosaurs, or exploring the beauty of rare gemstones such as uniquely colored diamonds, the Museum’s permanent exhibitions can be explored in this virtual tour.

The Larkin Building build by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1904 is one of the most famous office building off all time. When it was demolished in 1954, there where no color picture of the building...until now. In this VR experience, users can walk through the building and explore the spaces, furniture, and atmosphere.

21. Google Expeditions: What Happens to Your Trash and Recyclables?*

Stand inside the New York City Department of Sanitation's Staten Island Transfer Station, the Sims Recycling Center, and other spaces to discover how the city aims to eliminate waste to landfills by the year 2030.

Explore the science behind severe weather, learn about the technology used to predict hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, and wildfires and understand the steps families can take to prepare and stay safe during a weather emergency.

This virtual field trip takes students to Cargill’s Innovation Center in Wichita, Kansas where they get an inside look into the world of agriculture and learn how careers in science and technology play a key role in getting food to your table in a safe and affordable way. Students will hear from numerous Cargill employees that represent a variety of interesting careers from a Food Marketer to Food Scientist and more!

Join Discovery Education from the Museum of Science in Boston, one of our nation's premiere informal learning institutions. This event explores the natural and human-made world through the lens of engineering.

Watch the archived virtual field trip from 3M's World of Innovation! You will hear from 3M's leading scientific experts about just a few of the countless 3M innovations that are improving lives worldwide!

Tune in to watch a family farmer Brian Bomke gives middle school students a deeper understanding of how modern technology and nutrients play a role in the planting and harvesting seasons. During this live event Discovery Education will show students how technological advances have made the Bomke's farming operations more productive and efficient.

Dedicated scientists around the world are working to save amphibians, and you can too. Join scientists and researchers live from the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where your class will be able to see a wide range of amphibians from around the world; learn what amphibians are, why they are important, and the threats facing amphibians; and hear about programs that you can get involved in to help save amphibians in your local area. Presented by Siemens STEM Academy and the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park.

Historical Sites

32. Google Expeditions: Gettysburg National Military Park*

In this expedition, take a guided tour of some of the key parts of the three days of battle. Viewers will see how the geography played a role and how the Union Army was able to take advantage of it. The idyllic panoramas were the scenes of some of the bloodiest fighting in the Civil War. The outcome of this battle, and the Civil War itself, changed America forever.

The Great Wall stretches across several provinces of northern China but Beijing is usually considered the main gateway to the Great Wall since there are several world famous sections of the Great Wall in the suburbs of Beijing, including Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall, Gubeikou Great Wall and Jiankou Great Wall. These sections were built during the Ming dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries and have been well preserved.

Packed with interesting facts, videos and photos, the free app allows anyone in the world to explore a virtual version of the world’s most iconic theatre. Users can move around the virtual theatre, zoom in and out and reveal the oak frame. Venture through the oak doors and head inside, where you can explore the theatre as stunning 360-degree images.

Peru’s Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rises up more than 2,400 meters above sea level where the Amazon Basin meets the Andes. Built in the 15th century, the Incas built this site as a gift to Emperor Pachacuti as a royal estate.

Every president since John Adams has occupied the White House, and the history of this building extends far beyond the construction of its walls. From the Ground Floor Corridor rooms, transformed from their early use as service areas, to the State Floor rooms, where countless leaders and dignitaries have been entertained, the White House is both the home of the President of the United States his family and a museum of American history. The White House is a place where history continues to unfold.

Visit the 12 different stadiums that will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. View the stadium from a bird’s eye view, learn about their locations and nearby points of interests, and see the stadiums come to life in a nighttime view.

Located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus is now open 24/7 thanks to its virtual tour. Walk through the halls of the museum, visit the various exhibits, and learn about the history of the Holocaust.

Walk through this chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. With its ornate frescos, including Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment, the walls of the Sistine Chapel depict the contents of the Book of Revelation.

The 1913 Beaux Arts train station is the city’s most spectacular point of arrival. The world’s largest train station continues to impress 100 years later, with more than 750,000 visitors every day—that’s four times the traffic New York’s JFK Airport handles.

Cities

Experience Atlanta with 360ATL. Fly through the airport or start your journey in Centennial Olympic Park, the heart of the convention, and entertainment district. With 360ATL virtual tours, you can enjoy the beauty and excitement of Atlanta before you even arrive.

Explore one of the most important religious cities in the world with this virtual tour of Jerusalem. With its nine different sections, viewers can learn about the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, David’s Tomb, the Dome of the Rock, and more!

Exploring the Outdoors

Symbolizing the ideals of freedom and democracy, Mount Rushmore is a tribute to four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln and their invaluable contributions to the United States. It is a place surrounded by American history, where the names of Gutzon Borglum and Crazy Horse are still heard; where the buffalo once again run free in Custer State Park, and the vision of the Keystone miners still cast a dim shadow on long deserted claims.

53. Google Expeditions: Mount Everest*

Climb the world’s tallest mountain and witness the various stops and stages of conquering Mount Everest.

Take a virtual hike or raft trip and discover ancient places within Grand Canyon where people lived long ago with interactive 360° photos and showing archeologists at work, along with their tools, such as shovels, trowels, screens and buckets.

This Antarctic experience will allow students to put on the virtual reality headset and enter the world of the Antarctic. The scenario begins where scientists will introduce the topic and explain the reasoning for their presence, their significance with the ecology, and what are some of the activities that take place.

Hosted at St. Vrain Valley School District, the Virtual Field Trip will provide students with the opportunity to hear about Mount Kilimanjaro first-hand from educators who climbed the mountain. They will learn about collecting environmental data on the mountain’s six biomes and meet a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist to discuss the SMAP Mission, a satellite that measures the Earth’s soil moisture. Students will learn about the importance of collecting this data and how they can participate by completing their own research.

57. Google Expeditions: Victoria Falls*

Known as the greatest curtain of falling water, Zambia’s Victoria Falls is among the most impressive natural wonders in the world

Pilanesberg National Park is located in the Bojanala Region, within the North West Province and relatively near Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the fourth largest park in the country and shows evidence of man living there during the Stone Age and Iron Age.

Take a tour of Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island, Cumberland Island. View the simple, 1-room First African Baptist Church, pristine beaches, and the remains of a mansion built by Thomas Carnegie, brother and partner of steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie.

This virtual experience series looked at Arctic ABCs, water conservation, and STEM jobs on the tundra. Find out about these extraordinary animals, the environment of the arctic and careers open to you on the tundra.

Join conservationist Maria Diekmann in the crusade to save pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world. Learn more about these scaly yet endearing mammals whose basic biology remains a mystery, hampering conservation efforts.

Careers and Workplaces

62. Google Career Expedition: Aquarist, Vicki Sawyer*

Vicki Sawyer is an Aquarist at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. Learn about her background and job responsibilities with this inside look of what it takes to be an aquarist.

There are big things coming out of the little town of Senoia, Georgia—like the most popular TV show in the history of cable, for example. That’s right, it’s shot at Raleigh Studios, about an hour’s drive south of Atlanta. Fast Forward goes behind the scenes and talk with the experts about what it takes to create the fictional world of The Walking Dead.

Sports start from the ground up... with healthy soil! Follow Nick McKenna, Assistant Field Manager of Texas A&M University, on a typical day in turf management. Your students will hear directly from Nick and the people he relies on - from soil lab experts to fertilizer specialists - to help keep the Texas A&M sports fields looking great for the fans and safe for the athletes!

66. Google Expedition: NASA’s Modern Figures*

This virtual field trip examines the roles of eight women and their various roles at NASA.

Join National FFA and Discovery Education as they take you behind-the-scenes at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI, to learn how the needs of agriculture customers impact the design, engineering and testing of Ford F-Series trucks. Meet Ford employees who use advanced technologies to solve the practical challenges faced daily in agricultural settings.

Fast Forward visits the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company in downtown Atlanta, and talk with a few of their nearly 100,000 employees about what it takes to be one of the most recognized brands on the planet. It turns out those high school chemistry classes might come in handy.

In this exclusive tour of the advanced aerospace, transportation, and industrial plant in Birmingham, England, meet young apprentices who are following their STEM passions to find fascinating careers in advanced manufacturing.

GPB pays a visit to CSX’s REDI Center in midtown Atlanta to talk with the fine folks of CSX about the 3,000 employees they have scattered about the state. REDI is the acronym for Railroad Education and Development Institute. That’s where most of their employees come to learn what it takes to work on the railroad, which also makes it a great place for us to learn more about CSX jobs.

Experiences

Holocaust survivors, teachers, and students gathered in Poland to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Now, you are invited to participate in the Auschwitz: The Past is Present Virtual Experience so your students can hear from the participants first-hand.

73. Google Expedition: The Great Depression*

This virtual field trip begins with the viewers standing on Wall Street in New York City in October 1929. The Great Depression expedition then depicts the effects and events that followed, including Hoovervilles, The Dust Bowl, and the interior of a Georgian family’s small home.

74. Google Expedition: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Women’s Rights*

Learn about the Women’s Rights Movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s enormous contribution to women’s equality rights, and how the foremothers of America are honored today.

This interactive game puts the player in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a 14-year-old printer's apprentice in 1770 Boston. As Nat navigates the city and completes tasks, he encounters a spectrum of people living and working there when tensions mount before the Boston Massacre. Ultimately, the player determines Nat's fate by deciding where his loyalties lie.

In this mission, students playing the game assume the role of Lena Brodsky, a Jewish immigrant from Minsk, Russia who arrives in the United States in 1907. As Lena, students will navigate New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century, work to help support her family, and witness changes in factories.

77. Google Expeditions: Mexico’s Day of the Dead*

This virtual tour includes six scenes that explain the origins, culture, and celebrations surrounding Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

This throwback game has the player assume the role of a wagon leader guiding his part of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon’s Willamette Valley over the Oregon Trail via a Conestoga wagon in 1848.

79. Google Expeditions: The Vietnam War*

Explore the causes and effects of the Vietnam War and the repercussions of the United States’ involvement in the war.